First Edition Portland Vase, Wedgwood, circa 1793

One of the finest copies of The Portland Vase that Wedgwood produced, in many ways rivalling the First Edition itself. Decorated by Thomas Lovatt, then cut, polished and shaded by John Northwood in his glass engraving studio. Although 30 copies were intended, the work was so exacting and arduous that in the end only thirteen were finished. The mirrored stand, which is included, is later and I think dates from the late 20th century. Of all the stands designed for the Portland Vase, this is the best I've seen. The original Portland vase, dating from around 200AD and made of cameo glass, is considered one of the most important examples of classical design and is noted for its intricate relief sculptures, which depict classical figures and scenes from Greek mythology - exactly what, though, we're not sure. The original Wedgwood Portland Vase...

A shield-shaped vase, decorated to resemble porphyry, and highlighted with gilding. Marked for Wedgwood & Bentley.

Polished basalt, decorated with Victoria, Goddess of Victory, in her chariot; possibly after a Roman model such as the wall paintings at Herculaneum. This palette is very rare on bas...

A fine, large vase in black basalt, decorated with an encaustic painted figure of a youth, taken from The Hamilton vase in the British Museum. The shape is taken from the Greek Hydria...

A large pair of vases in the Lebes Gamikos shape, in undecorated black basalt. A classic form that would suit period or contemporary décor.    

A monumentally tall vase in solid pale blue jasper, decorated with nymphs after Herculaneum wall paintings.   

The black jasper ovoid body decorated in white relief with the Apotheosis of Virgil after John Flaxman, the shoulder with snake handles above Medusa masks, the domed cover with Pegas...

Crafted by Wedgwood, this stately Neoclassical amphora vase is comprised of black basalt — largely considered the pottery firm’s greatest innovation. Terra-cotta red and white encaustic enamel bands of anthemion, or palms, decorate the entire piece, from lip to handle, vessel to base. Classical scenes depicting Hellenistic myth are featured in exquisite detail on the vessel in a clear homage to Classical motifs of Ancient Greek pottery...

President John F. & First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s English Victorian tea table Quite possibly the most important tea table in American History The famed, English Victorian tea table Owned by President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy A very fine and very rare, English Victorian, chinoiserie decorated, black lacquer and papier mâché, tea table, the removable rectangular tray decorated with five Chinese figures in golden polychrome colors on a black lacquered background, raised on a later rectangular conforming Japanned, chinoiserie and gilt decorated stand with four bracket-form legs. This magnificent table was among the furnishings that were used to decorate, then, Senator John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy’s Georgetown townhouse when Senator Kennedy represented the state of Massachusetts in the United States Senate. Senator Kennedy won the presidency in November of 1960. The Kennedy family moved from their Georgetown residence into the White House in early 1961. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy commissioned New York, society decorator, Sister Parish, of the famed Parish Hadley Firm to decorate the private rooms in the White House that would be used by the First Family as their residence. This beautiful table was installed by Sister Parish as part of the decoration in the First Family’s living room called the Yellow Oval Room. A photograph of the table, in situ, in the Yellow Oval Room at the White House, is featured in the book, Parish Hadley Sixty Years of American Design, page 126. Numerous photographs of the Yellow Oval Room taken during the Kennedy administration, contain this beautiful tea table. In the Parish Hadley photograph, the table is shown next to the famous rocking chair, which became President Kennedy’s favorite chair. The rocking chair offered the President temporary relief from the debilitating back pain he suffered as a result of injuries he sustained during his service in the United States Navy during World War II. Other noteworthy furnishings in the room include a pair of Louis XVI fauteuil, once owned by President Thomas Jefferson and the famous, Denis-Louis Ancellet desk, upon which the Camp David Peace Accords were signed. Measures: Overall: 33-1/2” W x 27-1/4” D x 19” H Tray: 28-1/2” W x 22-1/4” D Provenance: From the Estate of Jacquelyn Kennedy Onassis, Sotheby’s, April 23 – April 26, 1996, Lot #50E Additional Images available upon request. Few First Ladies in American history have left their mark on the White House the way in which Jacqueline Kennedy elegantly cast her spell, not only on the American public but quite literally on everyone in the world. Mrs. Kennedy’s indelible style and magnificent taste became legendary. When John and Jackie Kennedy moved into the White House, Jackie found that the Truman era décor and furnishings were modern in style or were casual reproductions of period pieces. Jackie is quoted as saying that it, “looked like its been furnished by discount stores.” In short, Jackie considered the White House, “that dreary Maison Blanche.” With its haphazard decoration and reproduction furniture, Mrs. Kennedy felt the White House didn’t befit the heritage of the home of the President of the United States. Jackie’s upbringing and education gave her a deep appreciation for fine art and authentic period decorative arts. She looked for ways, on the White House’s limited budget, not only to redecorate the White House, but to restore the White House to a grander, more authentic period look appropriate to it’s roll in American life. In short order, the Kennedys created the White House Historical Association to help publicize the heritage of the President's house. They got the White House declared a museum to help preserve it and put in place a fine arts committee to accept gifts of antique furniture that fit the White House. Mrs. Kennedy enlisted Henry DuPont, a well-connected collector of Americana, Sister Parish of Parish Hadley, New York and Stéphane Boudin, a respected Parisian designer from the House of Jansen, Paris, to help acquire antiques from donors and add more rigor and sophistication to the decorating. Sister Parish would concentrate on the family’s private residence and Boudin would design and decorate the state floor rooms and the West Wing. Jackie approached the White House restoration and redecoration with exacting standards. She endlessly studied books and periodicals to learn about White House history. Thanks to her research, four Cezanne paintings in the National Gallery were moved to the White House, the original intended destination. Jackie was more than willing to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty in the process. She searched the White House from top to bottom, from basement storage rooms to bathrooms and closets, ultimately unearthing valuable items already housed in the White House. Her efforts aided in the discovery of carpets ordered by Theodore Roosevelt and French flatware used during James Monroe’s Presidency. Century old busts where found in a downstairs men’s room. When moving aside electronics and communication equipment in a downstairs broadcast room, Mrs. Kennedy uncovered the now famous Resolute Desk. The desk was constructed from wood salvaged from HMS [Her Majesty’s Ship] Resolute and was given as a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes. Upon it’s discovery Mrs. Kennedy placed the desk in the Oval Office where is has remained for many presidential administrations. News about Jackie’s White House restoration began to spread as soon as the project began. A Life magazine article, in its September 1, 1961 issue, delved further into her work. It was via television that the First Lady was able to give the very first televised tour of the White House, which allowed her to share restoration details with the viewing public. On February 14, 1962, A Television Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy was broadcast on CBS and NBC. The show, seen by 56 million viewers, displayed Kennedy's depth of knowledge about numerous pieces in the White House. Well poised, elegant and always diplomatic, Jackie took this opportunity to share the White House and thank the many important donors. President Kennedy also made a brief on-camera appearance. The program went on to air around the world, even in countries on the opposite side of the United States in the Cold War. Future First Lady Barbara...

This outstanding fossilised skeleton is that of the ancestral crocodile species Steneosaurus bollensis that lived during the early Jurassic period. The skeleton, complete with armour...

An exquisite and quite rare pair of 19th century English, Staffordshire, Jasperware blue ground Wedgwood vases with neoclassical subjects on rounded plinths, stylistically attributed...

With neoclassical decoration. Impressed Wedgwood.

A very nice and lovely example, red-figure painted, pottery wine mixing bowl, standing on a graceful pedestal foot which supports the bell shaped body ...

The Pearl Royale is without a doubt the world's most luxurious vibrator ever created. Crafted by Australian jewelry artist Colin Burn for his Treasure ...

Pair of important Russian gilt bronze and metal vases Russian, circa 1820 Dimensions: Height 98cm, width 43cm, depth 38cm This monumental pair of vases are exquisitely crafted in gilt bronze and metal. They both feature twin scrolled handles, which are decorated with leaves and foliate patterns, as well as classical profiles at the top. These touch the ormolu rims, which feature an egg and dart pattern. The body of each vase is of ovoid form and features further ormolu mounts, including a thick band underneath the waisted neck, twin dog heads at the base of the handles, flowers, stars and more Classical masks with foliate scrolls. The vases are supported by square plinths, with socle form bases and decorations of fluted ribbing and scrolled foliate forms. Heavily inspired by the neoclassical style, which was popular in Russia in the late 18th and 19th centuries, the vases are decorated with gilt bronze relief scenes which allude to motifs in classical mythology. On a rich burgundy ground, the metal body of the vases show figures flanked by palm trees. One vase shows a woman dressed in a classical draped fabric garment playing two flutes and leaning on a pedestal with twirling ivy, while a baby stands...

Each piece painted in underglaze-blue and heightened in gilding with an exotic bird perched upon peony branches, comprising: an oval soup tureen, cover and two stands, an 18" oval platter, six 13" oval platters, a 23.5" fish platter, a 21.5" fish platter, four vegetable dishes and covers, two two-handled sauce tureens, covers and stands, a similar smaller sauce tureen, cover and stand, two butter dishes and one cover, two cake stands (one as is), four leaf-shaped dishes, a pierced berry dish, a rectangular stand, two pairs of figural double salts, a shell-shaped pickle dish, a pair of reticulated sweetmeat...

Wedgwood and Bentley made the design and molds for this pair of exquisite Wedgwood black basalt urns in the late 18th century. This lustrous pair ...

A rare large and impressive Wedgwood majolica jardiniere decorated with masks and trailing vines dating from around 1870. The pottery stands raised on a pedestal of rounded shape dec...

A stunning Neoclassical Wedgwood Portland blue bowl with a white overlay. This piece is believed to have been a small sugar bowl, however we think...

Wedgwood Rosso-Antico Vase, Circa 1790

Ceramic Vase designed and manufactured by Mobach Utrecht around 1960. Thrown to the wheel clay shaped by hand with charasteristic Mobach glaze in excellent condition. Signed with...

A stunning Moorcroft London Architectural limited edition vase recording Docklands to The City of London from the embankment by Paul Hilditch and conceived in 2011. This large tall bulbous vase is richly glazed with tour-de-force tubelining skills with three scenes framed between tall ornate Victorian gas lights. The scenes run from Docklands with the river Thames in the foreground with the Thames Barrier and with the Dome overshadowed by the tall and iconic architectural buildings which make up the famous Docklands skyline. The second scene shows the large dome of St Pauls Cathedral with an iconic London red double decker bus in the foreground with the third scene showing one of the most iconic buildings of modern London the Gherkin set amidst the tall City of London buildings. All in all a spectacular and exceptional vase not only by its sheer size but the incredible way it has been decorated. It is recorded by Moorcroft as ' Every once in a while, Moorcroft create a vase that is magical. Paul Hilditch’s magnificent London is a celebration of England’s capital, framing the new architecture of the city with wonderful Victorian gas lamps...